Der Leiter's WAS Review

[Der Leiter]

ALLIES

AUSTRALIA

HMAS Canberra #1/64
Though her gunnery values are decent, the HMAS Canberra is lacking in defence. She needs an escort to defend her against aircraft, and even destroyers can peck away at her low armour rating of three. Her torpedoes are nice, but I'd probably go with a different cruiser, which cost 1-3 points less.

HMAS Sydney #2/64
A lighter cruiser than the Canberra, the Sydney is fairly decent. Raider Hunter helps improve her gunnery against the targets she should be after anyway, and the +1 armour over the Canberra is nice. If you want a cruiser with torpedoes take her or the Exeter, otherwise go with the Salt Lake City.

FRANCE

Gloire #3/64
A decent cruiser with two gunnery attacks, a standard cruiser AA rating, and even torpedoes. Excellent Spotting helps make her gunnery nearly as good as the heavy cruisers. Interestingly, her torpedoes are unaffected from being crippled. A fairly decent ship overall

Le Terrible #4/64
Compared ot the HMS Javelin, Le Terrible isn't that good. It has worse AWS and Lay Smoke Screen has much more potential than High-Speed Run. Also the Javelin has sub hunter, putting it over the top. However High-Speed run can be useful, despite it's drawback (which as currently worded makes it so your entire fleet can't score the objective for the turn). The +1 speed is great for getting Le Terrible past the vanguard of the enemy fleet and into the back where the carriers, support ships, or even battleships are. Yes it's probably a suicide run but the damage they could cause may be worth it.

Richelieu #5/64
A surprisingly powerful warship for her cost, extended range 5 can make her difficult to play against. As can be expected by her cost, the Richelieu's guns aren't quite as powerful as the Iowa or Yamato but come close, especially with Excellent Spotting. A very nice ship to use, and leaves a lot of room for capable escorts.

UNITED KINGDOM

HMS Ajax #6/64
The Ajax is a fun little ship, and not too bad. It works well as a Light Cruiser, and harassing your opponent. The Sydney is slightly better against Auxilaries (not that it matters all that much) and cruisers (a little more significant), Pursuit Ship can be great. Of course it can just as easily do nothing the entire battle. Still, it's fairly cheap for a cruiser with a decent torpedo rating. I'm not sure if it's as good as the Exeter, but it's a nice little ship.

Ark Royal #7/64
For three points less than the USS Enterprise, she lacks a flagship rating, has -1 AA, and one lower gunnery rating on all ranges (Not that the gunnery matters quite as much). Yet she's still pretty decent. The UK can make use of the Javelin and the Ajax which don't mind going first quite as much, and going first for a carrier isn't usually that bad. Expert Torpedoes is comparible to Expert Bomber 2, and with a Catalina hanging around your Swordfish can become quite deadly. She may not seem as good as the Enterprise, but she gets the job done.

HMS Exeter #8/64
A very annoying ship to play against if your opponent keeps rolling Determination. Unlike Survivor this ship can potentially stay alive indefinately. However she's far from broken, as both her armour and air defence are sub standard. Her attack dice and torpedoes aren't bad though, so she can be worth using - especially in larger games.

HMS Hood #9/64
There's several reasons not to play the hood. Lacking torpedo defence, she's extremely vulnerable to them. She cost's less than 51 points, which is ideal for a battleship since it forces your opponent to engage it. Fatal Flaw can be a huge drawback, or none at all depending entirely on what your opponent fields. In larger games her costing less than 51 points doesn't matter, but then it can increase the odds of your opponent playing a battleship. Even ignoring all this, her vital armour is fairly low too - not low enough that cruisers should be destroying her but making it much easier for battleship to do so even without rolling four 6s. She does have a few things going for her, such as being the cheapest battleship with flagship 2, a nice secondary attack, and even backup torpedoes. In a large game she can be useful as bait to entice your opponent into sending battleships after her.

HMS Javelin #10/64
Though one of the more expensive Allied destroyers, the Javelin is also extremely useful. Unlike the Luca Tarigo, the Javelin can effectively use Sub Hunter. Her gunnery is good (for a destroyer), and she has range 2 torpedoes, unlike the US DDs. Though her AA isn't as high as the Fletcher, nor her ASW as high as Samuel B Roberts, she is usually more useful than either. An excellent destroyer, but the expense means you may not want to field them in large numbers. Instead complement them with cheaper Fletchers.

HMS Rodney #11/64
At 10 points more than the hood, and having the slow disability, the Rodney may not seem like a good choice. However give old Rodney a try and you may not find him quite so bad, as he lacks most of the drawbacks of the Hood; he has very decent armour (on par with the Iowa's), and a good secondary gunnery value. His torpedo attack is more amusing than anything else, but can still come in handy if he's being swarmed. Finally Slow 1 isn't usually that much of a problem - a slow escort not able to keep up with the Rodney could be annoying, but if old Rodney needs a breather his escorts can easily catch up with him. Also once you're fairly into the battle, maneuvering can become much less important. The biggest problem would be if he stalls out while a sub is closing in. I don't think the ship is great, especially with somewhat low main gunnery, but it's not terrible and much better than the Hood.

HMS Truculent #12/64
My favourite Allied submarine, and perhaps second overall. She is far superior to the USS Bard, and Run Silent can often come into play to save her from air or destroyer attacks. Her torpedoes are +1/+0/+1 over the Barb's, making her deadly up close and much more of a threat at range.

Sea Hurricane Mk. IB #13/64
Not quite as impressive as a Wildcat, these Hurricanes are still decent and less costly. They're good if you're not sure your opponent will field aircraft, and make for decent Escorts if he does. Not great but not bad.

Swordfish Mk II #14/64
Though they have a weak defence, the Swordfish can hit hard. Combined with Expert Torpedoes and a Catalina's shadowing, 5 torpedoes give good odds of hitting at least once. They're tied for highest ASW rating on an aircraft, but it still isn't the best; you need to get an above average hit to damage a sub. In bigger games you need a large proportion of Swordfish to carriers as you will quickly lose them to attrition.

UNITED STATES

F4F Wildcat #15/64
Expensive for a fighter, the Wildcat is undoubtably the best of them in this set. It is better than the Sea Hurricane, though more expensive. Tough to destroy or even abort and it can threaten minor ships, the Wildcat is good in heavy carrier fleets or even fleets that simply want to have a little air support.

PBY Catalina #16/64
The Catalina is a must have in any carrier fleet as her Shadowing ability makes her invaluable. Adding +1 to all air attacks of all types can make a huge difference, especially with torpedoes and ASW attacks. Not that the ability even affects itself. However you should only send the Catalina into combat if you have no other choice, otherwise just park it two sectors away from your target and in an empty hex. (Or better yet, where an enemy sub is so she can shadow and launch an ASW attack). Enemy AA will rip her to shreds, so keep her safe. An excellent aircraft, but only useful in very limited numbers.

PT Boat #17/64
Somewhat expensive for it's minor attacks, though it is at least general purpose like a destroyer. Except it's not really good at anything but torpedo attacks. Use them in large groups, and hop from island to island. Aircraft will destroy them easily, as High-Speed Evasion is no protection from them. They're suicidal and can have a low chance of reaching their target, all at a relatively high cost. Not the best of investments, but fun for casual games.

SBD Dauntless #18/64
Expensive but deadly with a potential of 13 dice (USS Enterprise, Catalina) that's enough to threaten most battleships to some degree. They have decently high armour ratings; the vital is high enough that while it may not be too hard to abort the Dauntless it will be difficult for most units (excluding BBs, fighters, and dedicated AA units) to destroy them outright. This means Press the Attack can come into play fairly often.

SS Jeremiah O'Brien #19/64
Not the most useful of ships, though I'll admit I've never tried a full convoy of them in a standard game. They could be useful in breaking deadlocks though - all too often I've had a game stall out because my units couldn't harm (or had a poor chance of harming) the 12 or so remaining points of enemy units. I'll have to try it out some more before I condemn it, but at this point it's best use seems to be drawing fire away from more important units.

[Der Leiter]

UNITED STATES CONTINUED

TBD Devastator #20/64
Not quite as hardy as the Dauntless, nor as powerful an attack as the Swordfish, the Devastator is something of a compromise between the two. The only real use of Draw the CAP I've had is in protecting my Catalina - useful but hardly game shattering. Not a bad little plane, and at 4 points less than a Dauntless their likely to see some play.

USS Atlanta (CL 51) #21/64
Like the Tone, the Atlanta is quickly becoming a favourite of mine, even though it lacks the Tone's utility. However, aircraft are enough of a threat that it warrants fielding an Atlanta-Class just in case. Of course if your opponent doesn't field any, then you're left with a ship undergunned even for a light cruiser.


USS Baltimore (CA 68) #22/64
The heaviest of the cruisers (ignoring those that were classified as BBs), the Baltimore packs a fairly good punch. Extended Range 4 and good main gunnery dice means she can do a decent job of covering your other ships, keeping your opponent at bay, or engaging in long range duels. Her defences are impressive as well, with +1 armour and +1 vital armour over a standard cruiser, torpedo defence, and an AA value of 8. A very good ship in larger games, but in standard games she might not always be the best of investments, depending on the nature of your fleet.

USS Barb (SS 220) #23/64
I don't see much reason to take the Barb over the Truculent. Even in a large game spread over two maps the ability never came (directly) into play. At best it deters enemy ships from approaching, as most opponents simply won't give you a free shot. I vastly prefer the Truculent to this sub, and only use it when I'm fielding an American-only fleet.

USS Boise (CL 47) #24/64
Fairly average for a cruiser though, importantly, it lacks torpedoes. It's fairly effective against destroyers due to its firepower and defence. Against other cruisers it's ok, but again the lack of torpedoes hurts. While the Air Defence is ok for a cruiser, it's still not great. The Boise certainly isn't terrible ship, but it's not a great one either.

USS Enterprise (CV 6) #25/64
The Enterprise is a nice carrier, and survivor unsurprisingly can help her survive - from a good battleship, torpedoes, or bomb attack anyway. She can still be picked apart by cruisers and regular hits. Flagship 2 and an AA value of 8 are very nice, and she's usually worth the three points over the Ark Royal - especially when allowing SBD Dauntlesses to attack with up to 13 dice (combined with Catalinas). A nice ship, and likely to see competitive play.

USS Fletcher (DD 445) #26/64
The fletcher has nice AA ratings, and +1 armour compared to other destroyers. Her ASW is decent, and torpedoes nice up close, though lacking range when compared to others. However without sub hunter her ASW can be difficult to use. Unless you are the second player the enemy sub can just slip away. Also the one armour only really makes a difference against other destroyers or tertiary guns on big ships - against anything else it doesn't matter.

USS Iowa (BB 61) #27/64
Like AAM's King Tiger, the Iowa has many benefits and drawbacks. Her main gunnery is formidable, enough to make even other battleships reconsider engaging her. It's extended range of five is an ability which, unlike AAM, can come into play often. Her AA is impressive, though still easily overwhelmed. Her flagship rating is good, and allows you to take full advantage of her range. Finally, Torpedo Defence 1 greatly reduces the impact of torpedoes; halving the damage most do.

The downside is at 68 points you cannot afford as much of an escort for her as you can other ships; while the Iowa will do fine against surface ships, aircraft and submarines are a threat. Be sure to have at least a few destroyers escorting her.

USS Princeton (CVL 23) #28/64
A cheaper version of the USS Enterprise, the Princeton makes an alright backup carrier. Her armour is the same as the enterprise's, her hull points only one less, she has the same AA rating, but lacks a flagship rating, survivor, and adds one less on expert bomber. Still that's not too bad, and combined with the St Lo you get two carriers for only 1 more point - possibly better survivability. The Princeton lacks a gunnery attack, which usually isn't a problem since she should be way in the back, but late game it can sometimes be useful.

USS Salt Lake City #29/64
Average air defence and standard stats are somewhat offset by a good gunnery attack, damage control, and a secondary gunnery attack. Without torpedoes though she's not too useful against battleships. A fairly average ship, but not too bad.

USS Samuel B Roberts #30/64
At first glance "Sammy Boy," as my group has taken to calling the ship, seems unimpressive. But as a dedicated ASW ship it is quite useful, having the highest ASW rating in the game and sub hunter, allowing it to easily cripple a sub before it can fire, and having a possibility of even destroying it. It's armour is insignificant, but it's not meant for direct combat (and the armour of most destroyers is pretty insignificant to the bigger ships). If worse comes to worse it can charge into torpedo range - it probably won't make it though. Having one of these destroyers can be nice (or one per about 100), but any more can be a waste of points. They complement the Fletcher nicely.
USS St. Lo #31/64
The poor man's carrier, the St Lo can be used to give your fleet a little extra fighter support without having to dedicate your entire force to a carrier. A fighter and torpedo bomber (with ASW) usually work well with her. A low armour means she's hit easily, but a vital of seven land HP of three lets her stick around a while. I wouldn't recommend using too many of them (more than one) outside of scenarios.

USS Tennessee (BB 43) #32/64
Like the Hood, the Tennesse's cost makes it a poor choice for a battleship in a standard game. Also, Slow 2 is high enough that it will occur a few times, and may interfere with setting up your units before your opponent comes into position. It's gunnery is fairly low - even the Hood has better attacks then it, but it at least has slightly better vital armour and no fatal flaw. Still, unless you're trying to squeeze in another battleship, the Tennessee isn't a good choice.

USS Washington (BB 56) #33/64
The USS Washington is a good battleship. Her cost is low, she has torpedo defence and a good AA defence, and a flagship rating (even if it's only one). Her armour and vital armour ratings are lower than ships like the Richelieu, but her powerful gunnery attack helps make up for it. Bristling with Guns aids her in defending against swarms of destroyers or PT Boats.

AXIS

GERMANY

Admiral Graf Spee #34/64
I do predict a few players being disappointed with this unit if they think of it as a battleship. Used properly though, it's an intimidating unit. Which also means it will draw more than it's fare share of attacks due to the firepower and low armour values. Torpedoes and aircraft are a problem (especially both), so it needs a good escort. I like the ship, but it does require a lot of attention.

Bismarck #35/64
The Bismarck is a very nice battleship for Germany in the early/mid war period, and while not quite as impressive (or expensive) as the Iowa, she still gets the job done. Her secondary gunnery has a decent number of dice and a good range as well; allowing her to pick off destroyers and damage cruisers from range. Her tertiary gun is more of an afterthought but can sometimes come in handy if she is outnumbered. Defencively the Bismarck benefits from a good AA value and Torpedo Defence 1; there is nothing more annoying than having your expensive battleship sunk by a lucky hit. As Johnny Horton reminds us, while impressive the Bismarck isn’t invincible.

FW 200 Kondor #36/64
At times the Kondor can be disgustingly powerful, knocking out important enemy ships without fear of retaliation with her antiship missile. Pinpointer can increase the effectiveness of your wolfpack, potentially giving them 5/5/4 torpedo dice. However the Kondor is easily shot down by AA, so once the missile is used or if you're opponent has fighters she's in trouble. Keep it protected by your fleet, or send it after crippled ships to keep it alive. For only 6 points they can be a very good investment.

JU 87B Stuka #37/64
At one more point than the Kondor, the Stuka lacks either of it's quite useful abilities, and lacks ASW. However it gains +1 armour and +1 vital armour, and counts as a Dive Bomber so can use Expert Bomber from your carriers - it's a little cheaper than the Val and can be used to supplement them on your opening attacks. Overall though I'd rather go with a Kondor or a Val - either one has more use and the Val can be used every round if you have a carrier AND has Press the Attack.

Koln #38/64
Lead the attack allows you to position these light cruisers earlier... but may not actually be that useful if your opponent is using submarines, battleships, extended range cruisers or aircraft.... well pretty much anything but destroyers. It's cheap though, and decent enough AA for an Axis cruiser. The ship just isn't terribly effective, though

[Der Leiter]

GERMANY CONTINUED

Nordmark #39/64
An odd ship, the Nordmark actually has a decent gun and hull points for it's cost. In fact comparing it to the Karl Galster it has a longer ranged gunnery, same AA, same vital armour, and double the HPs. Slow 2 is a bit of a drawback - it probably won't keep up with the fleet at some point and if caught in the open it will be destroyed. If your opponent has no aircraft you can simply hide it behind an island, but otherwise it's fairly vulnerable wherever it goes. Repair is interesting, and could potentially be used to 'fix' your guns, allowing a battleship or cruiser to regain Extended Range. However not being able to fire gunnery attacks for a turn makes it difficult to use; your other ship needs to withdraw from combat. Hiding behind terrain is your best chance, and the ship can still use AA to fend off planes. The Nordmark is interesting, but I'm not certain how useful it is.

Scharnhorst #40/64
Like the battlecruisers Hood and Kongo, the Scharnhorst lacks torpedo defence, and only two hits from them cripple her. Both her armour values are lower than that of most battleships, and her guns aren't much more powerful than a heavy cruiser's. However this is offset by her fairly low cost, multiple gunnery attacks, and good AA value. She's not good as your primary ship, but a cheap secondary in a larger game or as support for a light carrier fleet.


U 510 #41/64
Between wolfpack and a Kondor's pinpointer ability, U 510s can become quite deadly. However as they can't claim objectives you can't invest too heavily in them. They can be used to guard objectives while your fleet is on its way, or to hunt enemy ships - you need at least two in an attempt to corner a ship though. You can also use them to drive them to or from your surface ships.

Z 20 Karl Galster #42/64
Close Escort helps make up for the Axis' rather low AA values. This destroyer is an excellent escort, allowing you to add another ship into the sector. It's otherwise decent, with moderate numbers for all attack types. Pretty much a must for a German fleet, and still very useful in an Axis one.

ITALY

Ambra #43/64
Not the most impressive of submarines, but when you take the cost into consideration I still think it's better than the Barb. With only 1 Hull Point the Ambra is very vulnerable - any glancing hit will destroy it (Reminds one of AAM Base Set's rolling coffin). Also, the vital armour is irrelevant. The dice are alright for what you paid, and the +1 vs destroyers makes a pretty big difference - that's assuming the sub survives to fire them. The best use for these units though is in sub to sub combat where only one torpedo hit will destroy any sub. Some opponents may be unwilling to risk the possible trade off of a Truculent or Barb for an Ambra. Use these submarines aggressively while you have them.

Bolzano #44/64
The dice on this heavy cruisers are a little low at the longer ranges, but still exceptable. Her AA value is standard, and while the torpedoes aren't great they are still better than nothing. Where the Bolzano comes in handy though is with Flank Speed which can be used a few different ways. First it can be used to close in on a target, especially a vulnerable one such as a carrier (though you need to go second for it to work out well). Or you can simply use it to run full speed away from a unit - whether it's a withdrawal or simply shifting the cruiser a few sectors to aid somewhere else. Not great, b ut it does have some potential.

Duca D'Aosta #45/64
Rather bland, and not very good. Though her cost is low, comparative British ships have nearly the same gunnery and AA, but longer ranged torpedoes and usually a special ability.

Luca Tarigo #46/64
It's combat stats are pretty bad, but the abilities tend to make up for it - smoke screen especially. It's a nice unit to protect your battleships or even carriers with, but you have to make sure your opponent can't slip in and take advantage of the smoke screen took.


Mortor Torpedo Boat #47/64
While it has -1 ASW and -1 AA compared to the PT Boat, it's primary function (suicide torpedo attack) remains the same and I could otherwise live with it.. if it weren't more expensive than a PT Boat. Tactics are the same as the PT Boat, it's just less general purpose.

Vittorio Veneto #48/64
A pretty average battleship, and 2 points of being useful for a standard 100 point game. There's really not a lot to say about this ship - it doesn't stand out as either really good or really bad.

[Muenchausen]

How ever you cam up with these reviews, I have to say, an excellent read. Looking forward to more.

[Der Leiter]

JAPAN

A6M2 "Zeke" #49/64
The Zero is the Axis' best fighter. Of course it's their only fighter too. Still it's decently between the power and cost of the Wildcat and Sea Hurricane. Surprise is best used on the attack so you can gain the extra die against both an aircraft and a lightly armoured ship.

Akagi #50/64
A very nice carrier, though the most expensive of them. The extra armour & vital armour helps, and the main and secondary(!) gunnery aids against raids from destroyers or even light cruisers. Still for the 7 points you save with the Shokaku you can afford another aircraft and concentrate on dive bombers. The Akagi is better suited to larger games because it supports both dive bombers and torpedo bombers - it's too costly to have enough of both to get the best use of her expert abilities. She's still quite useful in standard games though.

B5N2 "Kate" #51/64
More expensive than the Allied Torpedo Bombers, the Kate has a litte better defence and gets three torpdoes - four with the Akagi's expert torpedoes. Her ASW is negligable though. I would only consider using the Kate with the Akagi, and even then only a couple of them due to their cost. Unlike the Devastator or Swordfish torpedo bombers though, the Kate actually has a decent defence, making up for some of her cost.

D3A "Val" #52/64
Where the Kates work best with the Akagi, the Vals work well with the Shokaku's expert bomber 2. Combined with the Tone this can give them up to 11 dice against a target; not quite as impressive as the Dauntless' 13, but still powerful.

G4M "Betty" #53/64
Half the cost of a Kate, for only 1 less torpedo but half of the flight time (well, assuming the carrier is still around), the Betty seems alright. Nor does the Betty have as good of a defence of the Kate/Val, being fairly easy for most cruisers to abort. They can be good for heavy wave on the first turn, but are mostly just filler.

I-19 #54/64
A very nice submarine, and the only one with a range of three. For sheer dice, it's not quite as impressive as a Wolfpack, but they still get the job done. Finish Him Off is an alright ability; you can use it to continue hounding a unit you've already hit - mostly useful against BBs. Also, since torpedoes are fired after surface combat, you can wait and see what your fleet damages and mop up. I wouldn't recommend using too many of these units, as they add up and can't control objectives, but they do have quite an impact.

Jintsu #55/64
A very costly ship for a light cruiser, the Jintsu is fairly dependant on luck; ie whether its torpedoes actually hit or not. It seems overcosted until a torpedo connects - a single hit can destroy a cruiser. If you don't like to be dependant on luck you probably won't like this ship. I know I don't.

Kinai Maru #56/64
If you have 4 points left I'd take it over the subchaser, but I'd probably go back and see if I can use the 4 points to upgrade other units instead. I suppose it could make the difference in a standard game if your opponent uses a 51+ point battleship

Kongo #57/64
Like the Admiral Graf Spee, the Kingo looks inticing but is also fairly vulnerable. No torpedo defence, and somewhat low armour values make her vulnerable. She's a nice ship with good firepower and range, but you have to take care of her. In larger games they make nice support ships, especially to offset the Yamato(s).

Myoko #58/64
I would never pick this unit over the Tone in a standard game, but it's alright with the Tone in a major engagement. Flagship 1 is a nice backup, and the increase in torpedoes is nice though.

Shoho #59/64
Like the St Lo, the Shoho is best used to support a small aircraft presence, mainly fighters. A fleet carrier and escort carrier is a little expensive for a standard game, but they could be useful in larger ones, especially as the Axis have no light (two capacity) carrier.

Shokaku #60/64
The Shokaku is a great and cheap fleet carrier, and works well with the equally good Tone. Both only come to 43 points, allowing for quite a bit of support for aircraft, destroyers, etc. It greatly increases the effectiveness of dive bombers, so you want to include a few of them as well. You can either have the Shokaku with a second (Zuikaku) or a smaller escort carrier.

Tone #61/64
An excellent escort the packs a punch, I think the Tone is going to be a mainstay in many Axis(Japanese) fleets, especially carrier/aircraft-based ones.
Even without aircraft, it can be used to enhancet a cruiser/destroyer swarm. The main downside on the torpedoes is if you're crippled or (obviously) destroyed before you can fire them, but that's minor
compared to what the Tone gives you.

Type 13 Subchaser #62/64
Trust me on this one and just use the Kinai Maru. The subchaser never reaches combat.

Yamato #63/64
Truly a beast, the Yamato is the single most powerful ship in the game. Her secondary guns give her a bit of an advantage compared to the britsling with guns SA some of the US ships have. An armour of 10 is very hard to hit, and 16 vital means its very difficult to kill her in one hit. One of the things I like about AANM is that the battleships can stick around for much longer than a single turn, slugging it out against each other. Also like AAM with 6 HPs, the Yamato can take a few hits before it even starts to make a difference, though it does lose extended on the first damage. She's not invincible, but she'll usually last a while if you can protect her against torpedoes that bypass her armour.

Yukikaze #64/64
Very expensive for a destroy; costing as much as a light cruiser. Again it's the Long-Lance torpedoes that bump the cost up so much, and it's entirely up to fate on how useful they are. Her ASW is average, and AA ok for a destroyer, but for a 12 point ship she's fairly easy to destroy.

[Pasalades]

Even going with the information from the Quick Start Guide you can surmise a few things. The battlefield on it is relatively open, unlike the the clutter of AAM; this is one of the main things inhibiting the usefulness of Extended Range. Given that the units viewed thus far have only speed 2 also has some impact on that.

One can assume that carriers will be important as long as you have aircraft, though it can be hard to say how long aircraft will be useful.

Regarding AA values, one can see that 5 is a low number compared to the 8 and 9 of the battleships. Maybe they aren't *great* values but in comparison thus far they are good (OR the Canberra is just very very bad).


Or you can just take my word for it.

Fair enough. I was just doing some fishing. Good work. I always like reading your reviews. I think we'll find that there will be some evolution in our evaluation of the units and some SAs as the WaS picture becomes less foggy.

[horacus]

Well, I want to see the first images. Bob said it will begin the 5/02/07 I think.

[FSSF]

Nope...
Not even Der Leiter's excellent reviews can get me interested in WAS...
Anf if this can't, nothing else can convince me to jump on that train.... or err... boat that is...

[Surfer_Sam]

I may try this out. Be fun to somehow combine this with AAM...

[Autarch]

Thanks. That '6s count as 2 successes' really messed me up when comparing values, I was so ingrained with AAM. It makes attack rolls interesting, and would give some ships that normally couldn't hurt another unit a chance, even if not a great one.

We'll just have to wait for more previews now.

I can't wait to see odds tables. Hopefully someone who is mathmatically inclined will come out with those soon after the game is released.

[The_Second_Gunman]

4 successes per 6 dice

[Der Leiter]

Nope...
Not even Der Leiter's excellent reviews can get me interested in WAS...
Anf if this can't, nothing else can convince me to jump on that train.... or err... boat that is...

It's funny, at first I wasn't that interested in WAS either.

[Colonel_Coo]

Outside of Hidden movement and a moderator to determine who will see what first, I am NOT interested in a Sea Battle game.

I did like Pacific War by AH with it's campaign and activations, hidden movement and serach planes. The only bad thing about that game was the retriction to historical builds. (for the grognards, I did win with Japan in that game preventing the US from fielding B-29's within range of Japan when the Atomic bomb was introduced).

[Pasalades]

Hidden movement would make any war game better. Hell, I've done it with normal Axis and Allies as well. But let's be honest, how are you going to mass market a game that granted may be simple, but now requires a referee. Hidden Movement could have never of been on the table for WaS from the get-go. If it means that much your best to fish in the waters of a different type of game. That being said, the components for WaS will make it extremely easy, I would say more so than AAM, to house rule things to your liking. The minis are way too pretty to give this one a pass out of hand.

[Colonel_Coo]

Hidden movement would make any war game better. Hell, I've done it with normal Axis and Allies as well. But let's be honest, how are you going to mass market a game that granted may be simple, but now requires a referee. Hidden Movement could have never of been on the table for WaS from the get-go. If it means that much your best to fish in the waters of a different type of game. That being said, the components for WaS will make it extremely easy, I would say more so than AAM, to house rule things to your liking. The minis are way too pretty to give this one a pass out of hand.

Networked War at Sea is what I'll wait for. See Magic on-line play. The program will determine what appears on your map and what appears on your opponents map. It would also roll hit dice etc.

I have bought and tried too many Sea battle games. The best by far is Wooden Ships and Iron Men: another AH game. WS/IM started at visual firing distance and then required each player to record the movement of the ship. Movement was considered simulataneous allowing ships to collide and foul rigging. That would make a great Collectible game that would compete with "Pirates".
Harpoon was another good game, but modern naval warfare required ranges of 60 miles.

[Panzercommander]

One thing I would like is a large array of different U-boats. Type VIIs, Type IXs, Type XIIs, Flak Traps, Milk Cows, etc.

[MarcusAurelius]

One thing I would like is a large array of different U-boats. Type VIIs, Type IXs, Type XIIs, Flak Traps, Milk Cows, etc.

Same here. I think the Type VIIC U-boat is a lock for the first set. It was the workhorse of the German U-boat force, with nearly 600 commissioned between 1940 and 1945.

The Type XXI would be make a great late-war submarine (more than 100 built from 1943 until the end of the war). My third choice would be the Type IXC (54 commissioned during 1941-42).

I think those are the core units. After that, I'm not sure what to expect. For example, I'm not sure there was a big enough difference between the Type VIIC and earlier versions (Type VIIA or Type VIIB) to justify a separate unit in War at Sea. They all had the same speed, the same number of torpedo tubes, the same deck gun, etc.

[Richter von Manthofen]

The same smell inside :D

[MarcusAurelius]

I also think U-boats are one of the few units in War at Sea that could realistically be given a veteran or ace designation.

This could be a great way to represent German U-boat commanders such as Otto Kretschmer, Wolfgang Lüth, Erich Topp, Heinrich Liebe and Günther Prien.

[MarcusAurelius]

Bump for transfer to new Axis & Allies Naval Miniatures forum.

[Der Leiter]

Updated with Opening Salvo #2

[horacus]

Nice reviews. I MAYBIE buy the Axis side, if I found someone that plays the Allied side around here...not too many players left....most of them moved to Dungeons and Dragons minis...me included...but I am one of the few that still buy A&AM...

[Der Leiter]

Nice reviews. I MAYBIE buy the Axis side, if I found someone that plays the Allied side around here...not too many players left....most of them moved to Dungeons and Dragons minis...me included...but I am one of the few that still buy A&AM...

Funny, that's exactly the opposite of what happened around here. Most players migrated from DDM to AAM.

[Der Leiter]

Updated with the Wildcat & Zero

[TheJudge]

Nice reviews, it will be interesting to see how truly powerful aircraft are. Will land based planes be involved? How strong will subs be? Kind of hard to hide your sub me thinks. Since the Kondor is included in the set list, I presume land based aircraft might be an important part of the game.

If it's a case of the German fleet against the US, the Germans look horribly overmatched since they don't have much air strength and no carrier.

[Der Leiter]

Updated with the HMAS Sydney and Shokaku thanks to prodding by Modern Major-General.

[Zhukov]

Nope...
Not even Der Leiter's excellent reviews can get me interested in WAS...
Anf if this can't, nothing else can convince me to jump on that train.... or err... boat that is...

Same. You fill my heart with joy Der Leiter. If these ever dont give me confidence maybe Victory at Sea will.

[Zhukov]

Funny, that's exactly the opposite of what happened around here. Most players migrated from DDM to AAM.
Here the few of us packed up and went to FoW. Finally I have the glorious army of Mother Russia I dreamed of!

Yet the Navy is cool, so Im finding myself here. My Birthday is the 19th of March, so Im considering picking up a case for fun.

[XAos]

If it's a case of the German fleet against the US, the Germans look horribly overmatched since they don't have much air strength and no carrier.
I'm getting the same impression, about the only hope the germans have would be their U-boats.
The game should perhaps be played in two formats.
The Pacific with UK or US V's Japanese.
Or the Atlantic with UK V's German or Italian.

I suppose you could play German ships, with Japanese aircraft. But the Japanese have adaquate ships of their own. So I don't see any point to that option.:rolleyes:

[Bellerophon]

I'm getting the same impression, about the only hope the germans have would be their U-boats.
The game should perhaps be played in two formats.
The Pacific with UK or US V's Japanese.
Or the Atlantic with UK V's German or Italian.

I suppose you could play German ships, with Japanese aircraft. But the Japanese have adaquate ships of their own. So I don't see any point to that option.:rolleyes:
Historically, of course, the German fleet was very limited in their ability to conduct surface naval warfare. No battle of the Jutland in WWII! :)

However, I do not think that a lack of naval airpower or carriers will be a serious handicap to a good commander. The Germans conducted excellent submarine warfare throughout most of WWII. Compare the tonnage of ships sunk by submaries vs. those sunk by surface capital ships. Until the Allies developed effective anti-submarine tactics and equipment, the Germans submarines had a field day with Allied shipping. Who needs a single big, clunky battleship or carrier when you can have a whole Wolfpack of submarines!

[Joisey]

Agreed. The Kriegsmarine operated differently from every other navy, principally because unlike every other navy, the Kriegsmarine had no "legacy" fleet. They were building up from square one only twenty years earlier, and really only departed from the Versailles Treaty restricitions a mere decade before war broke out. Consequently the Kriegsmarine was not a complete navy: It only had a small cadre of surface ships, and only built u-boats in quantity. They had no "strategic depth" to their fleet lists, and their distribution of ships was highly unbalanced.

[Bellerophon]

Agreed. The Kriegsmarine operated differently from every other navy, principally because unlike every other navy, the Kriegsmarine had no "legacy" fleet. They were building up from square one only twenty years earlier, and really only departed from the Versailles Treaty restricitions a mere decade before war broke out. Consequently the Kriegsmarine was not a complete navy: It only had a small cadre of surface ships, and only built u-boats in quantity. They had no "strategic depth" to their fleet lists, and their distribution of ships was highly unbalanced.

True, which is why most of the German navy remained bottled up in the Baltic for most of the war...they lacked the numbers to stage a successful confrontation in force with the British and US navies (and Russian), which is why we had 'breakout' events like with the Bismark and Sharnhorst, one or two ships trying to get out into open sea in the Atlantic. Even if these events had been successful, due to the lack of support the Germans were confined to 'raiding' tactics with the few captial ships (like Sharnhorst) that managed to get out into the open.:)

[Der Leiter]

Updated with Slavo #5 Boise & Myoko.

Next Salvo has the rules and two more ships.

[dracos42]

True, which is why most of the German navy remained bottled up in the Baltic for most of the war...they lacked the numbers to stage a successful confrontation in force with the British and US navies (and Russian), which is why we had 'breakout' events like with the Bismark and Sharnhorst, one or two ships trying to get out into open sea in the Atlantic. Even if these events had been successful, due to the lack of support the Germans were confined to 'raiding' tactics with the few captial ships (like Sharnhorst) that managed to get out into the open.:)


My belief is that the U-boat effort in WW-II showed that submarines have a better chance when they are supported by surface units and aircraft. At least when their operations can be coordinated. The USSR took this to heart after the war and built a navy with surface and air assets to support a submarine campaign. At least that is what I remember from reading about Cold War naval tactics. I think Austria-Hungary had some success with combined naval operations in WW-I.

Think about it, aircraft spot a convoy. Battlewagons, cruisers, and a subwolfpack converge on the convoy. The surface units engage the convoy escorts, while the subs pick off the fleeing merchantmen.

The fate of convoy PQ-17, sailing to Murmansk, was similar to the above scenario. The German navy sorties every ship they have in Norway, causing the convoy to scatter, while the escorts and covering force move to engage the Germans. (Sadly for naval wargamers, that battle didn't happen) The German surface units head for home, while the u-boats and aircraft decimate the scattered convoy.

Mike L.

[Belisarius]

The fate of convoy PQ-17, sailing to Murmansk, was similar to the above scenario. The German navy sorties every ship they have in Norway, causing the convoy to scatter, while the escorts and covering force move to engage the Germans. (Sadly for naval wargamers, that battle didn't happen) The German surface units head for home, while the u-boats and aircraft decimate the scattered convoy.

Not quite right. The German surface ships didn't sortie against the convoy; they were just changing berths. Sir Dudley Pound panicked and ordered the convoy to scatter, even after intelligence confirmed that the Germans weren't coming (Pound should have been replaced long before this, in my opinion). The majority of the escorting ships returned to Scapa Flow. The U-Boats and Luftwaffe planes did do a number on the ships, though.

[dracos42]

Not quite right. The German surface ships didn't sortie against the convoy; they were just changing berths. Sir Dudley Pound panicked and ordered the convoy to scatter, even after intelligence confirmed that the Germans weren't coming (Pound should have been replaced long before this, in my opinion). The majority of the escorting ships returned to Scapa Flow. The U-Boats and Luftwaffe planes did do a number on the ships, though.

The Allied covering force certainly had the firepower to engage the Germans. The USS Washington, one of the KGVs (I believe the KGV herself), a British fleet carrier, plus cruisers and destroyers. The convoy itself had several heavy and light cruisers.

The German force was Tirpitz, the Lutzow, Hipper, and I think one other heavy ship, plus destroyers. Maybe a light cruiser also. I'm going off of memory here.

[MarcusAurelius]

Since the Advanced Rulebook includes stat cards for the USS Barb, I-19, Swordfish and SBD Dauntless, are you allowed to review these units? I'd really like your take on how submarines, dive bombers and torpedo bombers work in War at Sea.

[XAos]

Subs still not clear because we havn't seen much of the ASW (only the swordfish)
German and Italian subs have a problem. They have nothing to defend them from ASW aircraft (e.g. Swordfish)
Subs are sufficiently slow that they will basically sit near the objectives & attack ships which come close. Submarines need to be in a fleet with a high flag-rating. So that they can avoid getting close to enemy ASW ships. A very important question for submarines is; Which ships have the highest flag rating.? The current answer is Enterprise & Iowa. I would certainly like to see a preview of some axis ships with flag-2...?
USS-Barb; Optimum attack range for this ship is 1. At zero range it's vulnerable to ASW from escourting destroyers. At range-2 it's too unreliable.
Not clear how usefull it's "Audascious Attack" is. If it could hit two targets in the same region it would be very valuable for sinking escourting destroyers. But as it's worded. The obvious way to negate it is to rush USS-Barb with 2 destroyers stacked in the same region. USS-Barb really needs to win initiative, to dodge such rushes.
I-19; As shown in the rulebook it's got the same flightdeck & flag rating as Shokaku. This is cleary the "Sky-Diver" flagship of the Japanese navy in 2100 displaced back to WW-II by a time machine. Why dive underwater, when you can avoid attacks by diveing back in time.:D
Ignoreing those obvious missprints. I'm left wondering why it doesn't have "Long Lance". ?
Swordfish; very easy for AA to abort. So they should make massed attacks (3 or 4 bombers) on single targets. Preferred targets are Battleships or Submarines.
Dauntless; With attack 10 (12 with Enterprise) these planes should stay away from battleships, lighter armoured Battlecruisers might be OK targets. Anything else is fair-game. Unless it's a Carrier escourted by the CLAA-Atlanta & CAP fighters.
"Press the Attack" should only be used if one more attack might kill an important target (e.g. to get control of an objective marker or sink a carrier).

[polar]

Agree that we do not know much about submarines jet.

However the I-19 seems quit fun: it can be a threat for anything. It can roll x2 dices at range 3 versus damaged ships. The difference between having an attack value at range 3 or not will be big I think.

Audascious Attack can be realy good, but may be very simple to avoid by enemy simply by putting all ships close to the submarine in same hex.

ASW on air units are good in the way that they can be sent into the hex containing the sub right away. And without being sitting ducks in future rounds. However on the down-side, if ASW of 3 is standar, its by far not a curtein hit or kill of a submarine.

Battleships (read IOWA) seems very powerfull, as its battleships does seem that wounderable to air units realy...

[MarcusAurelius]

I-19; I'm left wondering why it doesn't have "Long Lance". ?

Dauntless; With attack 10 (12 with Enterprise) these planes should stay away from battleships, lighter armoured Battlecruisers might be OK targets. Anything else is fair-game. Unless it's a Carrier escourted by the CLAA-Atlanta & CAP fighters.
"Press the Attack" should only be used if one more attack might kill an important target (e.g. to get control of an objective marker or sink a carrier).

Nice analysis. I wondered the same thing about the lack of the Long Lance SA for I-19. It gets the same attack range, just not the same damage.

As for the Dauntless, I want to see stats on more battleships besides Iowa and Bismarck — two of the most heavily armored warships of WWII. For example, the Bismarck had an armor belt almost twice as thick (145 to 320 mm) as the Kongo (76 to 203 mm). In other words, other battleships may not be quite as well protected.

Even so, the Dauntless still poses a formidable threat. With 12 attack dice (thanks to the Expert Bomber SA of the Enterprise), the chance to hit is 56.4% against 8 armor and 41.2% against 9 armor. I can't see using this unit without a carrier — but the chances at 10 dice are still 35.2% and 21.6%, respectively. Not exactly favorable odds, but taking down Bismarck or Iowa isn't supposed to be easy.

[Der Leiter]

German and Italian subs have a problem. They have nothing to defend them from ASW aircraft (e.g. Swordfish)

The ASW on the Swordfish is low enough that it gives subs a good chance of avoiding a hit. I've had my wolfpack engage a British carrier group, and took no loses from the aircraft (which were quite intent on sinking my subs).

Subs are sufficiently slow that they will basically sit near the objectives & attack ships which come close.

Not quite true, I've found a few other uses for them, only one of which is guarding objectives. Since they start so far in they can already maneuvre around to deter your opponent from moving into certain areas, or to even split his fleet in half. If you want to be more aggressive you can even used them to herd your opponent towards your main surface fleet / away from your carrier fleet. Of course enemy destroyers and subs might ruin this plan.

Submarines need to be in a fleet with a high flag-rating. So that they can avoid getting close to enemy ASW ships.

Unfortunately SAs the ASW ships (ie destroyers) have means you can't shake them off too easily. It may actually even be better to have a worse initiative and move first to get them out of the way of ASW ships before they can close in.

USS-Barb; Optimum attack range for this ship is 1. At zero range it's vulnerable to ASW from escourting destroyers. At range-2 it's too unreliable.

Correct. I've yet to find the Barb a better choice than another submarine. (more about the Barb under my review).

Not clear how usefull it's "Audascious Attack" is.
Not very. Unfortunately most opponents aren't considerate enough to drive up two ships within killing range. If they do it's because they're destroyers, and will probably destroy the Barb before it even gets to fire.

I-19; As shown in the rulebook it's got the same flightdeck & flag rating as Shokaku. This is cleary the "Sky-Diver" flagship of the Japanese navy in 2100 displaced back to WW-II by a time machine. Why dive underwater, when you can avoid attacks by diveing back in time.:D
I think that was Set III? ;)

Ignoreing those obvious missprints. I'm left wondering why it doesn't have "Long Lance". ?
I'm not sure, but it may not be such a bad thing. Most long-lance Japanese ships are VERY expensive.

Swordfish; very easy for AA to abort. So they should make massed attacks (3 or 4 bombers) on single targets. Preferred targets are Battleships or Submarines.

As I mentioned in.. the Shokaku preview or the fighter preview? Whichever, you need to use aircraft in single massed strikes otherwise AA will tear individuals to pieces. This is especially true for the swordfish. I want to like the, and sometimes they're quite spectacular. Othertimes you lose have the wave and accomplish nothing.

Dauntless; With attack 10 (12 with Enterprise) these planes should stay away from battleships, lighter armoured Battlecruisers might be OK targets. Anything else is fair-game. Unless it's a Carrier escourted by the CLAA-Atlanta & CAP fighters.

While BBs aren't their first choice, they can be useful in whittling down their armour. Once nice hit and you might even destroy the BB. They're best against cruisers and carriers though.

"Press the Attack" should only be used if one more attack might kill an important target (e.g. to get control of an objective marker or sink a carrier).

Sigh. In my case press the attack should never ever be used. Your right it depends on the target, but in most cases I would (in theory) go for it; better to damage the opponent now and run the very small risk (again, in theory) of destruction. A hit from an aircraft can have a big impact if it knocks out extended range or even cripples the ship before it can fire. -1 to 13 dice (and 6s still count as double) isn't that bad.

[Der Leiter]

However the I-19 seems quit fun: it can be a threat for anything. It can roll x2 dices at range 3 versus damaged ships. The difference between having an attack value at range 3 or not will be big I think.

If by fun you mean good and makes your opponent squirm, I agree.

Audascious Attack can be realy good, but may be very simple to avoid by enemy simply by putting all ships close to the submarine in same hex.
It really isn't good because you never get to use it.

Battleships (read IOWA) seems very powerfull, as its battleships does seem that wounderable to air units realy...

Battleships are very powerful, and if they catch a carrier it might as well be game over. However, they can only attack one aircraft a round so can easily be overwhelmed.

[MarcusAurelius]

Thanks for updating your unit reviews. They're always appreciated. And we've now seen stats for almost every type of unit. Hopefully we'll see the next War at Sea preview soon.

[Autarch]

I'm left wondering why it doesn't have "Long Lance". ?


Nice analysis. I wondered the same thing about the lack of the Long Lance SA for I-19. It gets the same attack range, just not the same damage.



Not all Japanese ships were equipped with Type 93 torpedoes. The Long Lances were 24" in diameter and wouldn't fit in the Japanese subs' 21" tubes. The Type 95, a 21" version of the Long Lance, was developed and used in subs. But it had a smaller warhead (similar in size to US torpedoes) but a longer range, which both are accurately reflected in the I-19's attack value.

[Der Leiter]

Not all Japanese ships were equipped with Type 93 torpedoes. The Long Lances were 24" in diameter and wouldn't fit in the Japanese subs' 21" tubes. The Type 95, a 21" version of the Long Lance, was developed and used in subs. But it had a smaller warhead (similar in size to US torpedoes) but a longer range, which both are accurately reflected in the I-19's attack value.

I can't claim to be much of a naval expert, so I'm wondering how accurate most of these values seem to be. From what I've heard so far, everything seems to be reasonable though, or are they?

[Der Leiter]

Updated with the latest salvo.

The Bismarck + Admiral Graf Spee + Karl Galster is one of my favourite battle groups.

[MarcusAurelius]

Not all Japanese ships were equipped with Type 93 torpedoes. The Long Lances were 24" in diameter and wouldn't fit in the Japanese subs' 21" tubes. The Type 95, a 21" version of the Long Lance, was developed and used in subs. But it had a smaller warhead (similar in size to US torpedoes) but a longer range, which both are accurately reflected in the I-19's attack value.

Thanks for the explanation. Based on what we've seen so far, unit stats and SAs seem as historically accurate as possible while keeping the rules simple for fast play.

[XAos]

From preview-6
The German destroyer, Karl Galster, is an excellent choice for this as it’s a close escort and lets you go above the ship limit for a sector.

Multi-quote didn't work on this for some reason.

RE: I-19 & long lance
I'm not sure, but it may not be such a bad thing. Most long-lance Japanese ships are VERY expensive.
Re- target for swordfish.
While BBs aren't their first choice, they can be useful in whittling down their armour. Once nice hit and you might even destroy the BB. They're best against cruisers and carriers though.


Thanks for the detailed response.
My main concern on I-19 & Long Lance is historical accuracy. If that makes the unit more expensive, then it does...
However, last night I checked details of all Japanese subs in WW-II. And they only carried 21" TT. So A/H did get I-19 accurate.:) :cool:
On Swordfish;
I used some software last night to view the "hidden" corner of the Swordfish card. The number for "lucky hit" is 5.

And thinking it over last night, I realised that the optimum target for a Swordfish is indeed a cruiser. A cripelled cruiser is easy to finish off. Destroyers are easier to kill but arn't worth as many points. Note; extended range on a battleship only works when the ship is "undamaged" so a single swordfish hit would seriously weaken Bismark or Iowa, even if you don't get a "lucky-hit".

Looking at the maps, I-19 has 2 obvious tactics.
1) start adjascent to an objective. And move forard turn-1. If you opponent advances at full speed towards that objective (which they obviously want to do) Then I-19 gets a range-3 shot on turn-1.
After that it retrogrades to stay in torpedo range and out of ASW range of any enemy on the objective. A possible good place to stop would be a squall sector near the objective.

[polar]

I must realy say I enjoy Graf spee.

Heavy cruiser (20 points) with extended range, and good range 3 secondery weapons seems quit nice. Add Graf spee+Tone... :)

But on the other side, obviously wounderable to a heck of a lot of things...

[Der Leiter]

And thinking it over last night, I realised that the optimum target for a Swordfish is indeed a cruiser. A cripelled cruiser is easy to finish off. Destroyers are easier to kill but arn't worth as many points.

The absolute best targets for the Swordfish are: older battleships, battlecruisers, and pocket battleships, all of which are expensive to some degree and more importantly lacking torpedo defence, making any hit on them hurt.

A possible good place to stop would be a squall sector near the objective.

There are no squall sectors on the maps, those are shoals, which aren't quite as useful (though not useless either).

[swarbs]

Der Leiter,

Your review's rock. Now a question, shoals do not block line of sight for gunnery attacks, what about for topedo attacks? This may not be exactly on topic for this thread by the previous posts got me thinking...

[Der Leiter]

Der Leiter,

Your review's rock. Now a question, shoals do not block line of sight for gunnery attacks, what about for topedo attacks? This may not be exactly on topic for this thread by the previous posts got me thinking...

This is one of the first questions I had about them too. They do not block torpedo attacks. I assumed it was because the torpedoes are don't run deep enough to be affected, but I'll admit to not knowing how true that would be.

[swarbs]

This is one of the first questions I had about them too. They do not block torpedo attacks. I assumed it was because the torpedoes are don't run deep enough to be affected, but I'll admit to not knowing how true that would be.

Thanks for the clarification. I know modern torpedoes are set to run underneath thier targets, the explosion then creates a bubble of air under the ship, the ships back is broken in two (as only the ends are supported, leaving the middle to sag). So in this case the torpedoes run deeper than the ships hulls meaning a shoal that blocks a ship should also block a torpedo. Historically however I'm not so sure. I know a lot of torpedoes relied on contact exploders because of problems with the magnetic detonaters. I guess this means that torpedoes ran shallower than ships, so they may have passed over shoals impassible to ships. So I guess for a WWII game this would be a judgement call.

[Richter von Manthofen]

Leiters review!

Admiral Graf Spee #34/64
I do predict a few players being disappointed with this unit if they think of it as a battleship. Used properly though, it's an intimidating unit. Which also means it will draw more than it's fare share of attacks due to the firepower and low armour values. Torpedoes and aircraft are a problem (especially both), so it needs a good escort. I like the ship, but it does require a lot of attention.

My thoughts about it. You are totally right, but i would compare a pocket battleship with a battlecruiser to get its "real" worth.

The few units I have seen so far indcate that the Graf Spee is a danger to all ships of her class and below and might also do significant damage to a BB if it has support.

I fear the Germans will have heavy casualties against allied planes...

[MarcusAurelius]

Der Lieter,

Can you update your unit reviews to reflect the latest Opening Salvos?

[Autarch]

I fear the Germans will have heavy casualties against allied planes...

Better bring along some lend-lease Zeroes...

[Der Leiter]

Der Lieter,

Can you update your unit reviews to reflect the latest Opening Salvos?

Javoll.

As soon as the set is officially released I'll put up all the others as well. Unfortunately I can't share in quite as much of the excitement as everyone else will be having this weekend.

[Der Leiter]

Updated with the newer salvoes.

[MarcusAurelius]

Updated with the newer salvoes.

Danke schön.

[horacus]

Well, let's wait to see the gallery tomorow. Great job again.

[Henshini]

This is sort of a bump, your reviews are excellent and insightful, Der Leiter, please finish this one soon, thanks!

[horacus]

This is sort of a bump, your reviews are excellent and insightful, Der Leiter, please finish this one soon, thanks!

Agree with you.

[Der Leiter]

This is sort of a bump, your reviews are excellent and insightful, Der Leiter, please finish this one soon, thanks!

It ended up taking four posts to complete, I'll have to remember that for next time. You have to scroll down passed 1 comment for the third section, and a second comment for the fourth.

[dictator_wanna_be]

Very good work!

[horacus]

Great work as always Der Leiter.

[Jaels]

A quick note about the Gloire: it doesn't lose all torpedoes when crippled: a crippled ship loses one torpedo die, to a minimum a of one.

And the Enterprise's Survivor ability doesn't work against torpedoes, which doesn't use Vital Armor for determining successes.

JL

[Pasalades]

It ended up taking four posts to complete, I'll have to remember that for next time. You have to scroll down passed 1 comment for the third section, and a second comment for the fourth.

Well I deleted my post to help make things neat and tidy. Besides, it was rather moot at this point. At the time I had no idea you were writing articles for WotC as well.

[Der Leiter]

A quick note about the Gloire: it doesn't lose all torpedoes when crippled: a crippled ship loses one torpedo die, to a minimum a of one.

And the Enterprise's Survivor ability doesn't work against torpedoes, which doesn't use Vital Armor for determining successes.

JL

You know I completely missed that in the rules. I might have to go back and look at some of the other units now.

[Jaels]

You know I completely missed that in the rules. I might have to go back and look at some of the other units now.

No problem. We missed plenty of rules in our first plays too, and that was with more than one players looking at them. :)

[wildger]

This thread should be locked on top. Bump.

[shermanM4A1]

bump again.